Strength
by twilitprincess
Summary: Lost in Sunshine Forest, young Lucas meets someone who helps him discover his hidden strength, preparing him for the epic adventure he would have in the years to come. sucky summary, cute story, sad ending Friendship with a touch of humor/angst/adventure


**A oneshot I wrote off the top of my head that only took an hour or two. This was very fun to write and I'm very proud of it. I know Claus is a bit of a jerk here, but both of them are a little bit immature at this point, plus the game says they get into fights sometimes. I really didn't know what age to make them either. But please review because I would really like to see what you guys think because I think I did a pretty good job.**

"Come on, Lucas! What are you waiting for? Grab that stick and get over here!"

Lucas snapped out of his daydreaming. "Huh? What stick?" He asked, turning his attention away from the dark Sunshine Forest spread out in front of him to look at his twin brother quizzically. Claus looked very frustrated, his patience running short. He stomped over to where his brother was standing and pointed to a stick lying on the ground a couple yards away.

"_That_ stick, stupid. You act more like a baby than a 9-year old." Claus growled as Lucas felt his temper heat up. He bent over and picked up the stick, but it took all of his willpower not to bring the stick smashing into the side of his brother's face.

"Great. We got a stick. Now what?" Lucas hissed, narrowing his eyes and giving his best glare, despite what his mother said about his face getting stuck like that.

Claus rolled his eyes. "Seriously! Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?"

"Nope!" Lucas said proudly, trying to see if he could provoke a reaction out of his brother, hopefully leading to a fight. He needed to get revenge for being called a baby. Only thing was Claus wasn't in the mood for a brawl. Whatever was on his mind was making him determined and he wasn't about to let it go.

"You're lucky I'm nice enough to explain it again." Claus sighed, "Anyways, I was talking to Fuel the other day and he told me about this really weird sport where you hit a ball with a bat and then run around some bases as fast as you can. I think it was called baseball…or raceball…" He frowned, trying to recall what the correct name was.

"What's a base?" Lucas asked eagerly, the thought of playing something new sounding highly appealing.

"Honestly, Luke! You don't know what a base is?" Claus scoffed, "How dumb can you get?"

"Well what is it then?" Lucas demanded, his throat tightening a little bit as he tried not to get too upset.

"Um…it's a…thing…" Instead of answering, Claus changed the subject, "Right! So now we have a stick that can be our bat and a ball that Fuel lent me. We're good to go!" He twirled the white and red-stitched ball in his hands, trying to look impressive.

"What about the bases?" Lucas questioned.

"I thought I told you to stop bringing that up!" Claus growled. Lucas puckered his lips in disappointment. He decided to ask Mom later what a base was, since his brother obviously didn't know.

Suddenly, all signs of bitterness disappeared from Claus's face and was replaced by excitement. "Okay, now you go over there with that stick and I'll throw the ball!"

Lucas walked a good distance away from his brother, eyeing the stick doubtfully and wondering if it would be strong enough to hit the ball. He turned to face his brother, the stick held limply at his side.

"Ready? Get into position!" Claus shouted, bringing the ball back behind his head.

"What's the position?" Lucas shouted back, but Claus had already whipped the ball at him. Lucas let out a short scream as he saw the white blur flying at his face, and he reflexively swung the stick at it to protect himself. A loud crack filled his ears and he opened his eyes, which had been squeezed shut a moment ago. He saw the ball go flying over the trees and disappear into the forest.

"Luke! What did you do?" Claus shouted, "You just lost Fuel's only ball!"

Lucas glanced at the ground, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him, though he tried not to show it. "So?" He said nonchalantly, trying not to meet his twin's gaze.

"So I'll get in trouble! Remember when we accidentally fed Grandpa's pet lizard to that Drago?" Claus danced from foot to foot nervously, the worry clear on his face.

"What?! That was just you! Don't bring me into this!" Lucas cried out, "Besides, I thought that was a really good hit…"

"That was the worst hit ever you dummy-loser!" Claus snarled.

"Mom told you not to call me that!" Lucas wailed.

"She'll agree with me once I tell her that you lost Fuel's ball!" Claus said, straightening up, "Then you'll get the lecture about how you have to be careful with other people's property and a timeout!" He smiled, looking smug.

Lucas froze. A timeout? No, he couldn't get a timeout. He had been on a no-timeout streak for the last three months. Claus was the one who usually got timeouts, not him. There was no way he could get a timeout.

"No, please don't tell her!" Lucas gasped.

"I won't tell her if you go in the forest and get it out." Claus said, pointing at the mess of trees stretching out before them.

"B-but there's monsters in there! Y-you said so yourself…" Lucas stammered, suddenly unsure if he would rather take a timeout or be eaten by a monster.

"I lied. That's what I do." Claus smiled evilly. A second later, he was serious again. "But please, Luke. You've got to get it back. I'm sure it didn't go that far in. Come on…" His eyes were pleading. As much as Lucas liked to have his older brother groveling in front of him, he knew he needed to get the ball back. Otherwise, not only would he get a timeout, but also his brother would taunt him for being a coward.

"Okay." Lucas agreed, taking a deep breath and summoning his courage. "I'll go in and get it. Wait here for me."

"Good luck!" Claus said cheerfully, as Lucas walked slowly into the shade of the trees, the stick still clenched in his hand. He kept his eyes on the ground, searching the grass and leaves for any sign of the ball. It wasn't long before Claus had disappeared among the many tree trunks Lucas had passed in his quest to find the ball.

After about five minutes, Lucas paused. The ball couldn't have flown this far in…could it? He looked back, but all he saw was trees on either side of him…tall, scary trees that shivered in the wind. He turned and began to run back the other way, but the edge of the woods was nowhere in sight. He realized his hands were shaking and his breath was coming in short, frightened gasps.

"Claus!" He shrieked, his voice echoing all around him. He waited in silence a minute, but no response came. He clutched at the stick he still held, closing his eyes, willing it all to just be a dream. _Claus hit me with the stick…_ He told himself, _Yeah, that's what happened. I passed out and now I'm lying on the grass and when I wake up from this nightmare, Mom will be there with a band-aid and Dad will be reprimanding Claus…_

A loud hissing interrupted his thoughts and he opened his eyes with a startled scream. A large green snake was slithering towards him, spitting furiously, its mouth lined with deadly poison. He stumbled backwards, dropping the stick and whimpering with fear, as the snake came at him, eyes glowing menacingly. Without warning, he tripped over a fallen log and lay there, cringing on the ground as the snake coiled and prepared to strike. He closed his eyes and waited for the end.

Suddenly, something smashed into the side of the snake's head. The reptile recoiled, lashing out at whatever had attacked it. Lucas looked up to see a boy about his age, fending off the snake with an actual bat. The boy wore a red cap that matched his shoes, along with a blue and yellow striped shirt that resembled his own.

Lucas watched in amazement as the boy once again hit the snake across the face. With a final hiss, it turned and slithered harmlessly away, disappearing among the leaves. With a sigh, the boy brushed the black hair out of his eyes and tucked his bat in a small brown backpack that was strapped to his back. Then he turned and held out his hand to Lucas, his face open and friendly. "Hi!"

Lucas gaped at him in shock, unable to say anything or even take his hand. The red-capped boy didn't seem to mind. He bent down and picked up the abandoned stick. "Is this yours?" He said, holding out the stick with a smile that betrayed he knew the answer anyways.

Lucas nodded mutely and took it.

"You're awfully deep in these woods." The boy said, looking all around them. "What's your name?"

"L-L-Lucas." Lucas replied, pushing himself to his feet. "Who are you? Why are you out here? Are you lost too?" The questions flowed from his mouth and he stopped himself before he overwhelmed this newcomer.

"I could ask you the same question, Lucas." The boy said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Is that a bat?" Lucas blurted out.

The boy looked surprised. "What? Oh, that weapon I used?" Lucas nodded, trying to get a peek at the backpack that held this so-called weapon in it. "Yeah, that's a bat. I use it for fighting…I have other weapons too." The boy grinned as if someone had just told him a very funny joke.

"What other weapons?" Lucas asked curiously, wondering what other mysteries the brown backpack held.

"You'll find out someday." The kid said dismissively, "Now come on, let's get going." He turned and began to walk in a random direction, not bothering to check to see if Lucas was following.

"Going? Going where?" Lucas said, struggling to keep up with him.

"You're lost, aren't you?" The boy said, pausing abruptly so Lucas almost ran into him. "Oh, by the way…my name's Ness." He held out his hand once more. Lucas took it and hesitantly shook it. Ness positively beamed. Then he turned and began to stride away. Lucas followed along behind, unsure of what to say. "It sounds like you have some questions you want answered." Ness said, even though Lucas hadn't said anything. "Go ahead…I don't mind."

"You know how to get out of here?" Lucas asked quickly, "Do you live here? Where's your family? Do you play baseball?" He trailed off and waited for some answers.

"Well, Lucas, you came pretty deep into these woods." Ness replied, "So I'll do my best to find the way out. As for if I live here…" He flashed a grin. "Well, do _you_ think I live here?"

"No." Lucas said, embarrassed, "But you have to live somewhere! Everyone has a home and a family."

"That's true…" Ness said quietly.

Lucas blinked, curious to know more about this strange boy and his family. Ness seemed to realize this and began to tell him more, although he avoided the question of where he lived.

"Okay, I'll tell you about my family." Ness said, as they walked among the trees, "I had a mom and a dad. I don't know what my dad looks like, because he was always working. I also had a little sister named Tracy and a dog named King."

"I have a dog too!" Lucas exclaimed, glad to know he shared something in common with his newfound friend. "I can't imagine not knowing your dad…but…" He frowned. "How come you talk about them funny?"

Ness looked at him quizzically. "Funny? What do you mean?"

"You talk about them like…they're dead." Lucas said slowly.

Ness seemed to freeze up. "Oh! Uh, haha, they're not dead. I'm just…bad with present and past tenses. Yeah, I never did that well writing them in school." He gave an awkward smile. Lucas shrugged, wondering what school was, but he didn't want to look stupid, so he didn't ask.

"Well, my dog's name is Boney. And I have a mom and a dad and a twin brother named Claus. He can be annoying sometimes, but we do everything together! We explore and play games like baseball!" At the thought of Claus, his heart fell. Would he ever see Claus again? Or would he be stuck wandering through the woods for the rest of his life?

Ness's eyes clouded with memories. "Baseball, huh? I had a friend like that…we played a lot together. It was fun while it lasted, but eventually we…lost contact."

"That's too bad." Lucas said truthfully, "Maybe if you try hard, you guys can make friends again. What was his name?"

Ness's face hardened. "Pokey." He replied through clenched teeth.

"Pokey? I don't think I know anyone with that name…well, if you guys ever do meet again, maybe we can all get together and play sometime!" He said cheerfully, smiling.

"Yeah…maybe." Ness agreed, smiling back, but it was an odd smile that didn't seem to reach the rest of his face and stopped at the corners of his mouth. He halted and took off his backpack. "You want a snack?"

Lucas felt his stomach growl. He placed his hand on his belly to stifle the sound. "What do you have?" He asked curiously. "Any omelets?" Ness started taking all sorts of unrecognizable food out of his backpack.

"No omelets." He laughed, "Unfortunately, no steak either. How about a cheeseburger?" He held out what looked like an overstuffed sandwich with a bunch of different ingredients jammed messily inside. Lucas had never seen anything like it. He took it and bit into it. As soon as it was in his mouth, Ness said, "Don't worry. _That_ one didn't come from a trashcan."

Lucas spit it out immediately, coughing and retching. He had experience with being cautious about what he ate. You couldn't be too careful, living with Claus. You never knew when he had done something gross to an innocent omelet just so he could fool you into eating it. And so, Lucas had learned never _ever_ to accept any food article from Claus. He hadn't expected this stranger to be just as crafty as his brother. "What do you _mean_ it didn't come from a trashcan? You mean you actually get these…these…cheeseboogers or whatever they're called out of _trashcans_?"

The horrifying part was that Ness looked totally serious. He just shrugged and said, "Hey, I think it adds to the flavor," and bit into his.

Lucas settled with eating some beef jerky Ness had in his pack, a nice food that he was used to and knew would never be found in a trashcan. Ness devoured a cheeseburger, two bread rolls, five pieces of beef jerky, a cup of noodles, a cookie, and a slice of chocolate cake. "Does your mom starve you?" Lucas had asked, but Ness ignored him as he chugged a bottle of water.

"Let's go." He said when he was done, wiping his face, and packing away any extra food (there wasn't much). They stood up to leave, Lucas still marveling at how much his friend had downed in one sitting. "We shouldn't be too far from the edge of the woods." Ness told him, pointing through the trees, "I think it's this way. Ready to go?"

"Yeah…" Lucas replied and they began to trudge back along the trail they had been following. Only a minute had passed when a loud snorting filled the air. Lucas looked at Ness in surprise. "What's that?"

It was then a huge, agitated boar came barreling out of the foliage, making a beeline straight for where they were standing. "Ness!" Lucas screamed, "Get out your bat!"

Ness merely gazed at him calmly. "Why? You have a stick, don't you?"

Before the blonde-haired boy could respond, he felt himself get hit by what felt like a train. He squeezed his eyes shut, swinging the stick blindly, but another blow sent him flying onto his back. He lay there with the wind knocked out of him, his arms shielding his face protectively. The stench of the wild pig hung in his nostrils and he prepared to feel the beast's horns pierce his stomach.

Only the pain never came.

He opened his eyes and saw Ness with his bat, standing guard over him. The boy struck the boar on the head, sending it reeling. Instead of running off like the snake, it quickly regained itself and charged straight at his friend. Its head connected with Ness's stomach, and although it looked painful, the boy stayed standing on his feet. Again and again, the boar hurled itself at Ness, pummeling him with horns and hooves, but it barely seemed to be leaving a mark.

With a snort, the oversized pig pulled back and leered at Ness with dark eyes. Ness looked back at Lucas, not a hair out of place, and grinned. "Your turn, Lucas." He held out his hand. Lucas sat on the ground, shivering.

"I can't…" He whispered, his voice shaking, "I'm not strong enough…I could never…"

"You're stronger than you think." Ness said, his words full of meaning. Lucas felt his heart swell with confidence. Without thinking, he took Ness's hand and his friend pulled him to his feet.

The boar, seeing this new target, charged. Lucas held his ground, trying to refrain from screaming. The beast rammed into him, but he dug his feet into the ground and held his stance. He was surprised that it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. Then, remembering the stick he held in his hands, he lashed out at the animal. The boar squealed as the stick made contact with its face and split in two. It had done its job. The agitated boar calmed down, going from wild monster to tame animal. It trotted away; its ears lay back with defeat as it calmly disappeared into the woods.

Lucas stood staring down at his broken stick. Ness patted him on the back. "Good job, Lucas." He congratulated, a smile stretching from ear to ear. Lucas couldn't help but smile back. Then Ness pointed past him. "Look!" He declared, "The edge of the trees! We're out of the forest."

"Yes!" Lucas cried out excitedly, and took off for the exit. Once outside the trees, he looked all around, shouting, "Claus! Claus?" Ness walked over to join him. "He must have left because he couldn't find me. Oh no! What if he told Mom? We have to go back! They're probably really worried about me!"

"You're right." Ness said, nodding. "Let's go."

Lucas grinned, practically skipping in all of his exuberance. "You have to come meet them! It would be so much fun if you played with Claus and me! Maybe you can stay for dinner. And wait till they hear how you helped me!" He chattered happily as they made their way back to his home. "Oh! But…I guess we won't be playing baseball. My stick broke and I never did find the ball." Lucas sighed sadly, his energy suddenly spent.

"You can always find another stick." Ness pointed out. "And who knows? Maybe the ball will turn up." His eyes sparkled mischievously.

As the house came in sight, Ness walked slower and slower, trailing behind Lucas. The sparkle faded from his eyes and was replaced by a tired look of someone who had seen enough to last them a lifetime. Without Lucas noticing, he came to a complete stop, wearily watching his friend walk on without him. Finally, he murmured, "Get going, Lucas. You have work to do."

"Huh?" Lucas said, turning around to look at Ness questionably, but the boy was gone. He had disappeared. "Ness…?"

"Lucas!" Came a scream from the house. He looked on surprised as his whole family came running out of the house. His mother grabbed him and hugged him tightly. "Thank goodness!" She gasped, her eyes wet, "I thought I lost you."

"Luke! Luke!" Claus shouted joyously, racing over to tackle his brother in all of his excitement.

"What happened?" Their dad asked, a little breathless from worrying so much.

"Lucas went into the woods to get Fuel's ball and got lost. See, Mom, I told you he would be fine." Claus said importantly, but he seemed to be even more relieved than his mother.

"Ness helped me get back." Lucas replied, his voice muffled by his mom smothering him with hugs, "I wanted him to come for dinner, but he disappeared."

"Who's Ness? Your imaginary friend?" Claus snickered, "Well, enough about that. Mom said she would make omelets if you came back in one piece."

"That's right! I did." She said, standing up and ruffling both of her sons' hair. "I'm so happy you're all right, honey. Come inside and let's eat."

"Wait!" Lucas cried out suddenly, "I forgot the ball! Oh no, oh no…please don't give me a timeout!"

"The ball?" Claus said, staring at his brother as if he was crazy, "You forgot the ball? Then what's that in your hand?"

Lucas looked down at his hand in shock. Without realizing it, he had been clutching the ball in his hand the whole time. For how long of a time, he had no idea. He stared at the ball, and then gasped in realization. Ness! He held the ball in front of him, wondering what had happened to the strange boy he had met that day. He turned away from his family, looking out at the wilderness that surrounded their home, searching the landscape for Ness.

"I…never got to thank you." He whispered, guilt washing through him.

"Lucas! Come on, let's eat!" Claus shouted from the door.

"Okay! Coming!" Lucas replied, turning away from the woods and running back to his home, and to the family that loved him…

* * *

4 years later…

"I can't believe we're doing this." Kumatora growled as the foursome filed into the theatre. Boney gave a small whine, his black nose quivering as he sniffed the many different smells the area had to offer. Something was making the dog anxious, but his three companions didn't seem to notice.

Duster shot Kumatora a look. "Lighten up, Kuma. We need a break. Besides, we're just exploring. It's not like we're going to see a whole movie or anything."

"And what _is_ that you bought at the movie shop? I wouldn't eat that piece of crap if my life depended on it."

"It's a cheeseburger, not a piece of crap."

"Well it looks like you picked it up out of a trashcan."

The pair's bickering faded behind Lucas as he wandered through the movie theater. He entered a dark room with a large screen in it, and images flashed across the screen. He gasped at what he saw. It was a slideshow of a familiar red-capped boy who was shown in many different places on many different adventures. For a long time, he watched the same pictures appear over and over, his eyes glued to the image of the boy. Finally, he was able to tear his gaze away from the screen.

Struggling to keep calm, Lucas turned to a nearby girl who was also watching the movie. "Excuse me, who is that boy with the red cap up there?" He asked politely.

The girl looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. "You don't know?" She said in amazement, "That's Ness. Apparently he's some legendary hero, but I'm not so sure anymore…King P has been trying to convince us otherwise." She shrugged as if she didn't really care either way.

"Legendary hero?" Lucas breathed, trying to contain his amazement, "Do you know where I can find him?"

A sad look came into the girl's eyes and she shook her head. "I'm sorry…he died over a hundred years ago. Everyone has pretty much forgotten him now. Poor soul. No one even knows where he's buried anymore."

Shock and sadness seemed to hit Lucas all at once. He stared, stunned, at the girl before him, his face frozen with disbelief. She stared at him questionably. "I'm sorry…did I say something?"

Lucas quickly recovered. He smiled and shook his head, understanding coming to him as he recalled that faint memory in which he had met the legendary hero. Walking back to his team, he clenched his fists as he remembered that last moment in which Ness had told him he had work to do. Those words held so much more meaning for him now that he was grown up.

"I'm sorry…I had no idea you were dead…and I never knew you were a hero…" Lucas whispered, hoping that Ness could hear him, "I hope I'm living up to your standards so one day I'll be legendary just like you…and Ness…" He looked up at the screen, into the bright blue eyes and wide smile of his forgotten friend.

"Thank you."

**~The End~**


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